2026.05.04
"This is the 'big glass,'" he said...
 
question for google/AI
A:
Do you think Marcel Duchamp read "Triumph on Fairmount: Fiske Kimball and the Philadelphia Museum of Art"?
Q:
It is highly probable that Marcel Duchamp was aware of, and likely read, excerpts or perhaps the entirety of "Triumph on Fairmount: Fiske Kimball and the Philadelphia Museum of Art" (1959) by George and Mary Roberts.
Here is the reasoning based on the context of his life and the book's content:
Deep Personal Connections: The authors, George and Mary Roberts, were friends with Fiske Kimball and intimately involved with the Philadelphia Museum of Art community. By 1959, Duchamp was firmly established as the central figure of the Arensberg Collection, which had recently been installed at the museum (1950–1954) through intense negotiations with Kimball.
Duchamp's Active Role: Duchamp was deeply concerned with his own legacy and actively involved in the placement of his work in major American museums. A 1959 biography of the director responsible for bringing his collection to Philadelphia would have been directly relevant to his interests.
The Subject Matter: "Triumph on Fairmount" documents the rise of the PMA, featuring key figures in Duchamp's immediate circle, including Walter and Louise Arensberg. The book is a detailed history of the museum during the years (1925–1955) that overlapped with Duchamp’s becoming an iconic artist in Philadelphia.
Access and Exposure: Published in Philadelphia by J.B. Lippincott Company, it is very likely a copy would have been accessible to him.
Shared Social Circle: The authors were personal friends with the PMA staff and board, meaning they likely moved in similar social circles as the Arensbergs and, by extension, Duchamp.
Therefore, given his intimate ties to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the 1950s and his close relationship with the collectors featured, it is extremely probable that Duchamp at least read sections regarding the Arensberg collection's acquisition.
. . . . .
A review of Triumph on Fairmount: Fiske Kimball and the Philadelphia Museum of Art first appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer 21 October 1959.
2017.05.04
watercoloring, kinda
 
 
2005.05.04
Ephemeral City
An image of the Barry Le Va exhibition just at the Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art is on the cover of this month's Art in America. I found Le Va's work and approach especially interesting because he began his college education studying architecture, but after a year switched over to studying art/sculpture. His knowledge and dexterity of/in draftsmanship remains an integral component of his operations. It's indeed interesting to see how draftsmanship even often informs his work. It's like the architect in Le Va is much more than just ephemerally there. There's a worthwhile article--"Refiguring Barry Le Va"--by Nancy Princenthal inside the magazine as well.
Also in Art in America May 2005 is "Dalí in Duchamp-Land" by Charles Stuckey, which clearly demonstrates that the relationship between Dalí and Duchamp is also more than just ephemeral. Imagine that, Philadelphia as Duchamp-Land...
Just a reminder, the azaleas are presently in full bloom again at the Japanese House.
1961.05.04
1961. Thursday, Philadelphia
Having agreed to advise on the rehanging of the Arensberg Collection, Marcel arrives from New York City with Teeny. Henri Marceau has arranged for them to stay overnight at 2601 Parkway, an apartment house just across the road from the museum.
Ephemerides
1952.05.04
1952. Sunday, Paris
Opening of James Johnson Sweeney's exhibition "L'Œuvre du XXème Siècle" at the Musée National d'Art Moderne, which has been organized under the auspices of the Congrès pour la Liberté de la Culture. Although in principle since the donation of the collection to the Philadelphia Museum of Art [27.12.1950], nothing can be lent to exhibitions, Duchamp has obtained Louise and Walter Arensberg's agreement to lend two of his canvases [27.3.1952]: Mariée [25.8.1912] and Nu descendant un Escalier, No.2 [18.3.1912]. The exhibition, which comprises over a hundred pictures and a dozen sculptures, travels afterwards to the Tate Gallery, London.
Ephemerides
1947.05.04
1947. Sunday, New York City
In the evening at seven, Marcel visits the Kieslers at 56 Seventh Avenue.
Ephemerides
1943.05.04
1943. Tuesday, New York City
Miss Dreier and Duchamp have lunch with Robert Parker and the Kieslers.
Ephemerides
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